Hays, NC

The affordability dashboard for Hays, NC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,901 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (41/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $44,901, median home value of $145,900, median rent of $920 per month, and 9.0% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $925 per month (studio $782, 1BR $793, 3BR $1,233, 4BR $1,538). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,524 per year, consuming 21% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Pressure points are income, education, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 2.0% and poverty 14.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.